The governor who never was

Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar came to Pakistan in the fashion of Julius Caesar. He saw, he took over as governor of Punjab and wanted to conquer the world. His dazzling debut on the political pinnacle raised several eyebrows but his sudden, though expected, fall did not.
Ever since he catapulted into the top slot, Sarwar’s ramblings against the government of Mian Nawaz Sharif started getting more pronounced. That puzzled everyone about who this man was.
A man with an apparently brilliant political career in Britain with a tell-tale story of rags to riches eventually shot himself into prominence by becoming a member of parliament. With this background, it is difficult to digest that he had not read the constitution of Pakistan.
The governor’s job is titular and ceremonial, period. Was it unknown to him what kind of powers a governor of a province enjoys under the constitution? Is it believable that he snuffed out British citizenship, bidding a farewell to what he claimed the joie de vivre of British lifestyle without realising the role, scope and limitations of the position he was being doled out in Pakistan?
Sarwar’s romance with the ruling party had gone cold early on and the marriage of convenience between him and the Sharifs was destined to break up. He took everybody by surprise when last year he decided to visit the Ministry of National Food Security & Research. In the sequential hierarchy of importance and preference called ‘order of precedence’ a federal minister ranks higher than a governor. Notwithstanding that, Minister Bosan gave him superb protocol. He penned down a brief welcome address and received him at the steps of the ministry.
The ministry’s committee room had the top civil servants and technical experts in attendance. The governor, however, did not let Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan say even a few words of welcome. He did not allow anyone to be introduced to him. He did not even care to acknowledge the presence of the federal minister for textile industry who had come especially to attend the meeting. He was apparently more interested in his own voice, blurted off his vision on agriculture which was largely Toba Tek Singh-specific. With additional embellishment at humour he dished out critically derogatory commentary on the style and substance of this government, questioning the ability of the prime minister to take a decision. This sort of uncalled for public display of his judgemental perspective on this government’s performance left a bad taste. It also spoke volumes about the decency, morality and sense of loyalty of this man.
His dalliance invites a barrage of questions. The biggest question is: who is this man? The journey from Toba Tek Singh to the British parliament is no doubt amazing, but he had reached the cul de sac of his political career in Britain. And it was his ambitious nature that made him shake off his British loyalty. He always wanted to jump into the political ring in Pakistan but kept his sights high, waiting for the right time to occupy the captain’s seat.
The gubernatorial position was an ideal opportunity to be used as a spring board for his future political plans. It bolstered Sarwar’s importance, polished up his resume and allowed him free auditioning on the political stage. Basking in the gratis media attention, his blowing hot and cold against the sitting government in public and private appearances added glitz and glamour to his self-appointed persona of being a man of the people.
Chaudhry Sarwar’s so-called resignation speech was nothing noteworthy. Riddled with non-sequiturs, the address was a ride of clichés. If he had decided to resign because of the poor ‘state of the union’ and on moral grounds then why this public crying? Leaving the gilded pagodas of the Governor’s House was not so easy a task. The fact is that the Cabinet Division was initially instructed to issue a dismissal order. Later, on review the prime minister took back the dismissal order and Sarwar was asked to leave peacefully.
This is also a very sad commentary on the ability of the Sharifs to have insights into people’s character. Once upon a time they near-worshipped the man called Tahirul Qadri. The prime minister’s nobility is unquestionable but his ability to pick up the right people for the right job leaves much to be desired. One thing stands established: sycophancy pays off on the Sharifs’ watch. The prime minister has a lot of soul-searching to do.
The writer is a former information minister at the Pakistan embassy in Washington DC.